I promise
by Bummybee
Summary: Alternate reality: R series: “Don’t be afraid, I will be with you” the voice whispered in her mind. And for the first time in the last few weeks, Serena finally felt at peace.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor moon, any of its characters and am fully acknowledging that this is leading off one of the episodes of the sailor moon R series.

Prologue

"Sleep. Sleep. If I can't win this battle, at least I'm taking your precious Sailor moon with me!" laughed Droid Hypnotica, her laughter screeching through the still of the night.

Tuxedo mask held Sailor moon closely to him but she didn't even stir. Her eyes were shut tightly in a deep sleep but the expression she held on her pale, glistening face was one of passive concentration. If as she, even in sleep, knew that she needed to break out of this trance.

Tuxedo mask held her in his arms, feeling the strain as his world came crashing down around him. The Scouts were keeping a careful watch that Droid Hypnotica did not make any threatening moves but he was just beyond care.

…_I just don't think we should see each other anymore. Why should my future be guided by what happened between us in the past. The two of us are through! _

What did he care about the future anymore? What did he care about those persistent dreams that had forewarned him about staying away from Serena when there might not be a Serena to protect?

"Oh Darien…" came her soft whisper, breaking him out of his reverie.

_I can't give you up without a fight…Serena. And I'm never giving up if it means you're not going to be in my life anymore._

Flashes of his lonely past played in his mind…like it were yesterday. A life that didn't know Serena and what it meant to him to have her there. Her soft smile, her loud, infectious laughter…he give anything at this moment to have her throw another exam paper at him.

But life wasn't like that. And in every battle there was always a victor and a loser.

_You have to fight this Serena, you have too…there is just too much we need to do together…_

And with that thought on his mind, Darien pulled her close as he lowered his head and kissed her soft lips.

----------

From the depths of sleep, Serena could feel it…people calling out for her…that they needed her. She recognised those voices…the scouts…her guardians…

Ami…Rei…Lita…Mina….

She felt like she was slowing sinking into a black oblivion, her efforts in trying to rise above the prevailing urge to finally rest.

The past few weeks had taken its toll on her.

And for once it wasn't because of being Sailor moon. Her friends had tried to be so understanding and supportive. Constantly cheering her on with reassurances that all wasn't lost for her and Darien.

"_Serena, just follow your heart and I know that everything will be ok"_

But for once she didn't know what she or her heart wanted. On one hand she knew he was right. Wasn't this why Queen Serenity had sacrificed her kingdom and her life for? To give them all a second chance and to start over again? In a world were status and obligations wouldn't matter?

"_Why should my actions be guided by something that happened in the past?"_

"Haven't you had enough?" whispered a voice. Something…or someone that sounded soft and delicate…calm and collected…and surprisingly…like herself. A translucent feminine form started to appear before her eyes, but never fully becoming visible.

Serena could swear she had never seen this person before…well at least not in this lifetime. Yet, almost instinctively, Serena knew what the person was talking about without having to have to ask.

"Even if I have, even if Darien and I are though, how do I give up on the people who mean so much to me…my friends, Luna, Artemis…my family….Rini….I promised to protect them…how can I leave them now when they need me?"

"You are wise and strong Princess. You have many responsibilities for one so young. And to carry this burden of this planet alone, you have done well. Yet something far stronger and sinister threatens your warm light, something so much stronger than the sailor scouts or you can handle alone…it is time for destiny to come to pass…our judgement day Princess…will you allow me to help save you and the sailor scouts?

"How do I do that?"

"You must first let go. I will not fail you. I promise. Do not fight what is to come. All will reveal itself in due time." The figure reached out and caressed her cheek and then disappeared in a burst of twinkling stars. The darkness that had been surrounding her had begun to fade away.

"Serena?" she turned and saw Darien, arms warm and open, beckoning her back to the light.

"_Don't be afraid, I will be with you"_ the voice whispered in her mind.

And for the first time in the last few weeks, Serena finally felt at peace.

----------

Sailor moon blinked open her eyes to the gentle glow of the overhead park lights. She felt her body being held securely against a warm body while her senses were being overwhelmed with the fragrant smell of roses.

She forced her vision to come into focus as the final remains of the spell that had forced her into sleep shattered in her mind.

"Darien…"

----------

For a moment, Tuxedo Mask's body stilled at the soft whisper of his name, a whisper that seemed to caressed his face and bring peace to his soul without the need for physical contact. He was almost afraid to actually look at Sailor moon for fear that he had just imagined it, that he was so desperate for a sign, for anything, that would tell him that Serena wasn't really trapped in eternal sleep…that he had conjured up a hallucination of her voice to stop himself from jumping off the pinnacle of madness.

Then he felt it. The soft pull of his heart strings that had never failed to tell him when Serena was near…followed by the gentle pressure of her gloved hand enveloping his.

Both felt that there were no need for words at that moment. Blue eyes meet blue, and the world and imminent danger seemed to fade around them. The only thing breaking the tranquillity of the moment were the relentless frantic murmurs of his dreams that still hovered in the back of his mind, making him all too aware of the current situation…and what he needed to do regardless...

----------

It was only if Serena had blinked for maybe a microsecond, could she have missed the fleeting look of regret in Darien's eyes…the look that she knew in an instant meant…this changed nothing.

The soft voice from her sleep repeated in her mind:

_You must first let go…_

I see…

_I won't fail you…I promise._

I know. I trust you…

Serena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She prayed for the courage and strength to make the hardest speech she thought she would never have to make in her life. She looked up at Tuxedo mask again, drinking in his appearance for the last time…and gasped.

----------

When Sailor moon had looked at him with a look of sheer determination on her face, Darien had almost forgotten his vow to stay away from her. Almost. He had almost been ready to let go of those hands…the same small gloved hands that stroked his head in sleep a million times ago in the past…when those hands suddenly grabbed onto his broad shoulders and pushed him out of the way with a force that he wasn't prepared for.

"Tuxedo Mask! Look out!"

It had all happened so fast.

Tuxedo Mask dodged to the right and turned his head just in time to see Droid Hypnotica dive forward with her sword, just narrowly missing him.

But then he heard it. The sickening sound of sword through flesh and turned his eyes to Sailor moon in time to see her. Sailor moon's face strained from unshed tears and pain as the sword slowly slid into her body….just inches from her heart.

----------

"I've won! So much for your love and justice now Sailor moon!" Droid Hypnotica shrieked, knowing that this was indeed a fatal blow to her target.

But just before she could revel too much in her victory, a strange glow shot out of Sailor Moon's locket and pierced through her own chest.

"How could this be? I beat you Sailor moon! Noooooooooo!" she cried, as the light penetrated her body, turning her to stone…then dust….only to be blown away by the summer breeze.

----------

Tuxedo Mask reached out and grabbed onto Sailor moon again before she could hit the ground. "Sailor moon! Sailor moon! Speak to me! We have to get you to a hospital! You have to hold on….please…." his franticly pleaded with her, his gloved hand, now covered in blood as he worked to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

The other scouts, stunned into action, quickly gathered at Sailor moon's side, as Rini stood silently in the background, and watched the situation slowly unfold.

----------

"I'm so sorry scouts, Luna, Artemis…" Sailor moon whispered.

"No Sailor Moon. Don't talk like that. You can beat this. We know you can." Sailor Mars said harshly. "You're our leader. You have got to"

Sailor moon looked up at the scouts through hazy eyes, despite Rei's otherwise commanding attitude; she could see that Rei was worried and crying. Even more so than the rest of the scouts.

"Please Serena, you've got to" she heard Rei whisper, "I need you to argue with me…"

_You must first let go…I won't fail you…_

"Oh scouts, I swear, I'll find a way back to you, all of you…trust me…I promise" she choked as she said these last words.

"Darien…." She closed her eyes as she said this and inhaled deeply

Yet, even as she could feel his silent gaze on her, for some reason, even in these last precious moments, Serena couldn't make herself look at him in the eyes. But whether it was due to the lack of strength or an unconscious desire not to look into those cerulean eyes and realise that he just didn't love her anymore, she didn't know. But using the last of her strength, she hoped to give him the last thing she could possibly give to make him happy.

"You are free…"

Sailor moon clenched her fists and she felt the snap of tie that had once linked Endymion and Serenity, Mamoru and Usagi…and Serena and Darien…as she desperately struggled not to cry.

Then she felt warm light surround her.

_Don't be afraid. I will be with you…_

And with that, the silver crystal in her locket flashed with a blinding light that surrounded her body, encompassing her body in a warm glow before making it disappear into a light that burst forward surrounding them all in a light, not unlike soft rays of a moon beam.

Within moments, the light disappeared all too soon taking with it all evidence of Sailor moon and the battle with Droid Hypnotica. To the naked eye, the scene would appear as if only the remaining scouts, Tuxedo Mask and a small pink haired girl were standing in the park, looking up at the night sky. But only they could see the soft golden petals of light that sprinkled down from heaven like twinkling stars. And from where these petals touched the them, they swore they could all feel Sailor Moon's warm embrace and hear her soft whisper,

"_I promise"_


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do not own Sailor moon or any of its characters…but wished that I did…sigh

Chapter 1: Finding Destiny

Darien thought he needed to get out of the city. He needed to get away from the memories. Run away from the hurtful truth that haunted him every time he thought of Serena.

But it was impossible not to think about her.

_You are free…_

He had felt it before she had even finished the sentence. He had felt it in the stiffness of her body and the reluctance of her eyes to look at him, even as she was on the brink of death.

Then it had hit him.

The sudden sting of utter emptiness.

When he had looked at her again, in the vain hopes of telling her everything before it was too late, she was gone…

He had lost her.

With her sudden departure came the return of the bitter loneliness that had long existed in his heart and mind before he had ever met Serena. And with her final breath, gone were the promises of an everlasting love, a sense of security and the warmth of a family to call his own…

It was darkly comical the way that his life had worked out. If this had been one year ago, if it had been someone else, if he had never met Serena, he suspected he might have laughed before patting the poor fool on the shoulder while muttering, 'No girl is worth all that.'

But then it _had_ happened to him. And he was the guy who was sure beyond a doubt that she…that Serena was worth all that and more.

Serena had been like a breath of fresh air, storming into his life and heart when he least expected or wanted it.

No, scratch that. He smiled ruefully at the thought despite the attempt not to.

At the time, he had thought she was an angel of retribution, who had fallen out of the sky and into his life, with the sole purpose of wrecking havoc into his once ordered life with a vengeance.

A vengeance that he could now admit that he had thoroughly enjoyed…

Before he had ever met Serena, he had resigned himself to a life of solitude. Had been practically anticipating it. But after that fateful day, he had found himself more and more drawn toward her light, and like a moth to a flame, he had followed it. It had given him the strength to abandon his once reclusive lifestyle and to seek the simple joys that sharing a life with Serena could bring. Before he knew it, it was hard to imagine that he had ever truly existed before her…

And now, he felt like he was ceasing to exist without her…

There wasn't even the luxury of pretending that he had never met her. But no, even if given the chance, he wouldn't have traded a single second of his time with Serena for a moment of not having to feel this kind of emptiness…

He didn't even have the reassurance of knowing that she had passed from this world knowing that he still loved her and always would.

'_Where do I go from here?'_

Darien opened his deep blue eyes to gaze over Tokyo. A city that stretched out as far as he could see to a view that portrayed a picture perfect moment where the earth and sky touched and melded together harmoniously; the dark, irregular shapes of the city buildings blending into the pink tinged colours of a sun set sky.

It was moments like this which reminded Darien why Serena had loved this city, had loved this world. So much that she had repeatedly risked her own life on a daily basis as Sailor moon, fighting against the evils of the Negaverse.

But all for what? For a world which seemed to have ultimately forgotten its finest champion?

Darien rubbed his fingers over his tired eyes. Sweeping away the loose strands of hair that whipped over his face, he sighed deeply before turning his back on Tokyo.

* * *

Sliding shut the glass screen door behind him, Darien walked into the eerie stillness of his thread-bare apartment. 

Before he had meet Serena, he thought he never needed anything. Never needed the silly cherished mementos of either the family he had forgotten or of the few friends that had managed to break through his iron-like barriers. But now, looking around his apartment, he wished for it with all his being…for anything that would remind him that he was never truly alone…

He walked over to the bookshelf overlooking his desk and thumbed through his medical books to pick out a slim, silver-framed picture of Serena and him that he had, remorsefully, wedged between two files after that night.

She looked happy. Her blue eyes bright and exuberant. It had been their first real date.

'_Oh Darien, when I'm with you, I feel like I'm in a dream.'_

He fingered the long crack that ran through the otherwise flawless glass, seeming to forever separate the two figures encased within the frame.

"Serena…"

He ran his trembling fingers over her still face.

"Where do I go from here?"

A sharp breeze broke out against him. He turned his attention from the picture to the glass sliding door. It was open.

"Didn't I close it when I came in?"

Placing the picture back down on his desk, he walked towards the open door and shut it, making sure this time that he heard the gentle _click_ that signalled that the lock was indeed in place.

He walked back over his desk.

Covering the picture of him and Serena was a plain, crumpled black and white leaflet. It had obviously been through a lot of rain and shine, most of the black printing now almost illegible except for two words...

…_to Kyoto…_

The idea, although surprising in its randomness, had quickly anchored itself securely in his mind and tugged at his soul so that he had no alternative but to follow the path that destiny obviously wanted him to follow.

…_to Kyoto…_

* * *

Darien had jumped the first flight out of Tokyo to Kyoto and had now been driving aimlessly up and down the hilly roads of …only God knew where…for the past 5 hours, feeling that, despite the amount of time that had passed, he was still nowhere near where he was supposed to be. His luggage, which he had thrown haphazardly into the trunk of his car, signalled noisily to him that the road was bumpy. 

He sighed melodramatically, his fingers tapping impatiently on the heated-plastic steering wheel of his rented vehicle. 'Figures', he thought forlornly, 'that the one time I throw caution to the wind and follow my heart, I end up getting myself utterly lost.'

Just as he finished on that train of thought, a flash of light caught his eye. He peered through the light of the noon-day sun to see another shining object, emitting an even stronger golden glow about it and shining brighter with every passing moment.

But something was definitely amiss. Something very strange and very wrong.

This object seemed to be getting bigger.

And closer.

And heading right for him.

* * *

The golden ball of light spun pass his car with such ferocity, that Darien could see where it had torn up the smaller rocks and debris which now lay loosely scattered along the cliff roads. The winds that followed were pulling his car dangerously out of control as he struggled against the elements to keep the car on level ground. However, his vain attempts to press on the brakes were thwarted when he heard the roaring screech of his tired followed by the sharp snap of his brakes. 

He looked up and saw the oncoming curve of the road that looked over a treacherous slope into a valley. Darien, assuming the worst, closed his eyes and braced himself.

His last thoughts as he felt the car begin its spiraling decent into the valley below were of Serena.

'_I'll be with you soon, Serena.'_

Years from now Darien would remember with absolute certainty that he had felt her in those moments that he had thought would be his last. That he had felt Serena's shielding embrace, followed by the faint aroma of vanilla and strawberries…

_Not yet..._

* * *

Darien opened his eyes after he had felt the sudden joint of the car on land, indicating to him that perhaps the worst was over. 

He looked over the dash of his car to see that he was right. The car had landed. Damaged. But with him safe and intact. His slim fingers frantically flew over his face and chest to check he was indeed still there. He pinched himself. He could feel it.

He was alive!

Darien pushed hard against the battered car door, which gave way with a groan and _'thunk'_ as it fell off its hinges and rolled onto the wet grass beneath it.

'But how?' he thought as he peered back up at the road where his car had come flying off. It was at least 600 feet between where he had come from and where he had landed. There was no way he could have escaped that unscathed. Using the logic that had been instilled in him since he could remember, he quickly calculated that such a feat was practically impossible!

But what had happened between when he had closed this eyes to when he had opened them?

All he remembered was a blazing bolt of light which had flew past his car, veering his car off the curvy road and into the grassy knoll where it now lay.

"Please…help me….."

He heard it. Soft and pleading above the musical rustle of tree leaves.

"Please…"

He _knew_ that voice!

He closed his eyes and tried to distinguish where the voice was coming from, straining to hear it above the sudden and rapid thumping of his heart which almost dared to hope the impossible. _Almost._

"Help me…"

Trusting his senses, he turned towards the large silent forest looming dangerously before him. And ran.

* * *

And that's where he found her. In a small glen, at the heart of the woodland, with the sunlight breaking through the green foliage of the trees that surrounded the secluded area, lay a young girl covered in scratches and dirt. The light shone down on her, like a beacon in the darkness, highlighting the extraordinary redness of her hair. 

He quickly knelt beside her, gathered her into his arms and checked her pulse which softly pulsated beneath his shaking fingertips.

* * *

She felt someone lift her gently and fingers silently brush over her face to finally rest on her wrist. She heard a deep sigh of relief. 

She turned towards her rescuer and, although her body screamed for rest, she opened her eyes weakly.

It looked as though an angel had rescued her. He was absolutely beautiful- with those deep blue eyes framed by a canopy of wispy ebony-black hair. Those same eyes, which were staring at her in concern as his gentle fingertips continued to skim over her face.

She stared in wonder as his sensuous lips moved… but she couldn't hear a thing.

A flash of remembrance flew across her mind.

_A young black-haired warrior, with brooding blue eyes and a solitary aura about him standing in the dim light of a castle, amongst the darkness that spread across the shadowy garden. From behind him appeared a silver-haired princess, with smouldering grey eyes. "Endymion, you are here", she whispered, her eyes conveying the full magnitude of her pleasure that her words did not say. Her slim fingers lightly began to curl about his arm. He turned to her. The change was incredible. His eyes softened considerably, the darkness in his aura gone. The harsh lines of his mouth curving into a slight smile… _

_"Serenity…"_

Then she spoke. One word. The soft sound of it floated to his ears, resonated in his mind and pierced through to the core of his soul.

"Endymion…" she murmured, before the darkness claimed her and she went limp in his arms again.

'_I've found you…'_

Author's Note: Sincere 'Thank Yous' to everyone that reviewed the first chapter of this story. I do hope that this chapter lives up to your expectations but feel free to send me any reviews, thoughts or flames so that I can continue to improve this story in the future.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon…so don't sue me….but even if you did…all you'll get is my 2 cents.

Chapter: 2: Awakening

"_I don't know who you are…but I feel like somehow...you're important to me…In a way it must have been fate…me coming out from Tokyo to the middle of nowhere in Kyoto so that I could find you …I just wished I had more time to get to know you and find out why. Although I don't know if we will ever meet again, somehow…I know that you will get through this. I hope you find what you're looking for..."_

The now familiar whispered words of a bitter sweet farewell resonated through her mind like a never-ending echo through a pitch black cavernous tunnel. They flittered through her never-ending dreams from time to time, reminding her that she needed to wake up from her dreams at some point…no matter how promising or comforting her dreams appeared to be, one just couldn't just hide away in dreams forever…

But every time she heard these words…heard that voice… she could feel a small part of herself falling away. She gave herself a mental hug, as if trying to hold the broken pieces of herself together. She could feel herself blink through the darkness. The time was drawing near...she would wake soon…

...but just not yet…

* * *

"_It looks like its going to be a beautiful day in Kyoto today Ameleia. You can definitely tell that spring is in the air. Today we are going to do a little walking in the park…its going to help you get those muscles into shape…haha who knows…one day when prince charming comes, you want to be able to get out of this bed on your own don't you?"_

_----_

"_Now Ameleia, I know you don't like this needle, but afterwards I'm going to out some medicine through it that's going to help you get better…"_

_----_

"_Ameleia…this might hurt a little, but I'm going to have a look at the wound on your shoulder and put a new bandage on it so that it doesn't get infected…"_

Every so often she felt warmth. Soft words that broke through the darkness that had engulfed her, lapping over her like the gentle waves on the shores of a lake on a calm summer's day. They washed around her; always reassuring her and basking her in a continuous comforting glow, letting her know that she wasn't alone in the darkness.

"_Oh Ameleia…when are you going to wake up?"_

Then all at once, the peace shattered and the atmosphere around her changed. She could feel all the hurt and sadness in that voice wrap itself around her, suffocating her until her heart ached with sorrow and something else she couldn't quite describe.

'_Come back to us…we need you…please…come back... '_

The words chanted over and over again, encircling her in the darkness. Voices that were low and pleading…familiar and yet, at the same time not.

'_I will not fail you…I promise'_

A familiar voice and the words of a long forgotten vow rang out through the air like a bell, silencing the voices and lifting the fog of sleep from her mind, lighting her way out of the darkness.

_'Ameleia…it is time…'_

* * *

Hotaru Tomoe had started working as a newly graduated nurse at Kyoto Children's Hospital a year ago in the paediatrics' high dependency unit. She had been delighted that she had been accepted into the hospital and had wanted to be a good nurse and start putting all the skills that she had learnt at nursing college into practice. When she had found out that she had been put in charge of the unknown and unconscious 'Jane Doe' in room 5, a seriously injured young teenage girl with apparently no past or family, she graciously accepted the responsibility with minimal fuss or indecision. 

Contrary to her otherwise gentle exterior, Hotaru had a dark past that she was careful never to divulge to anybody. She had almost no memory of her childhood, except for one. She often dreamt that when she was 6 years old, her parents had been lost in something that she could only describe as a starless black night, with heavy winds and crackling laughter. She never discovered what had happened to her real parents, but sometimes, on pitch black nights, she could still hear their frantic screams echo in her nightmares. Consequently, she had spent years sad and angry at herself for not being able to help her parents in their time of need, and frightened of her past, that one day it would find her and swallow her up too.

Fortunately, Hotaru had been fostered by a young couple named Haruka and Michiru, who, even now, continued to be her ever patient, unwavering strength in a world which she had thought had taken away everything dear to her. They had counselled her through her grief and helped her to channel her frustration into helping others…eventually, she had decided to become a children's nurse.

Hotaru had read the girl's limited medical history. She had apparently been carried into hospital a month ago by an unknown man who had disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared. She did not know what the police had found out about that man, or rather, whether they had ever found him again, but what she did know was that the Kyoto Police were still incredibly insistent on keeping this girl's story hush hush due to a theory that indicated that this girl's injuries were no accident. A subsequent full body scan showed numerous healed bone fractures and injuries which was all the evidence that Kyoto Police needed to prove that physical violence… of one sort or another…had long been apart of this girl's relatively short lifetime.

Hotaru remembered the first time she had looked at 'Jane' and 2 things had become prominent in her mind. One being that it was hard to imagine that the calm, sleeping face before her had ever encountered a thing such as hurt and pain. But then, how else could she explain the huge gaping wound on her right shoulder that the medical team had declared should have been fatal…but yet somehow, here she was, alive and breathing on her own.

Hotaru's other thought had been that this girl was definitely no 'Jane'! In sleep, this girl's features were soft, calm and exquisite. Her clear pale, pink porcelain skin a perfect compliment to the fiery redness of her gleaming hair with natural auburn coloured highlights. The girl had long sooty lashes that were slightly curled at the ends and pink pouty lips that almost seemed to be locked in a secret smile. She looked about 14…15 years old and judging from the clothes that she had come into hospital in, she was definitely no charity case or run-a-way kid on the wrong side of the tracks.

'What could have happened to you in your life, little one?' Hotaru wondered as she softly sponged the girl's face, 'What could have possibly happened to make you sustain so many injuries? The police say that it doesn't look that there were any child abuse reports made on you…what could have been happening to make you stay silent through it all…and the fact that you are still here…breathing and alive despite what has happened to you…It makes me wonder if you're really fighting to stay here for some higher purpose?'

After careful consideration, Hotaru had decided that the girl looked like an 'Ameleia' and so had taken the liberty of re-naming her 'Ameleia', after a favourite story she had heard of as a child…of a beautiful female guardian of the stars.

Day after day Hotaru had come in and made sure that 'Ameleia' was properly cared for, was clean, got all her medications and made sure her wound dressing was clean and intact. She did leg and arms exercises with Ameleia and sometimes made pretend that they were actually out walking in the park on a lovely spring morning when they were really stuck inside of a single, enclosed white hospital room, surrounded by blinking hospital machinery.

As far as Hotaru knew, Ameleia had no relatives or friends, nor would she be allowed to have any visitors. To make up for this, Hotaru always talked to Ameleia as if she _could _hear and made sure that Ameleia was kept up-to-date on current events. Whether any of this really made a difference to Ameleia, Hotaru couldn't tell. But all the same, it made her feel like she was doing something worthwhile for this unidentified girl. However, as the weeks slowly began to drift into months, and with no signs of waking soon, doctors were at a complete loss of what to do with Ameleia.

'Oh Ameleia…what could have happened for you to become like this?' Hotaru stood up and took one last look at the hospital monitors that Ameleia was connected to before she turned to get herself her morning cup of coffee. Stopping at the door, she looked back at the young girl that she had been looking after for the past month and whispered sadly as she tugged on her blue cardigan, 'Oh Ameleia…when are you going to wake up?'

* * *

_'Ameleia…it is time'_

She awoke to the bright blinking colours of the florescent lighting overhead. The distinct smell of disinfectant immediately stung her nostrils and she sat up. As soon as she did she felt like her mind was stuck in a whirlwind. Placing one hand behind her to prevent herself from falling back onto the soft pillows behind her and bringing the other hand up to her forehead, she let her fingers massage her head in an instinctively soothing manner.

She waited until the worst of the dizziness had passed before trying to gather her thoughts.

"Ameleia…Ameleia?" she croaked, her voice unfamiliar, even to herself. '_Is that my name? Where am I?' _

All she heard in return was the gentle hum of the florescent lighting followed by the intermittent beeps close-by on her right. She peered through tired eyes to get a better look at where these sounds were coming from.

White. For long moments all she could see was white.

'_Am I dead?'_

Then as her vision cleared and became less fuzzy she could see that she was connected up to some grey thin cables that lead to a square black television-like monitor that displayed green blinking lines running across it. Tiny green lights flashed on the machine in sequence to the beeping noises. Reaching out she let her slender white fingers slide over the cool glass screen. That's when she noticed the huge bandage on her right shoulder peeking out from under the simple white gown that she was dressed in. Curious, she had been about to tug the shoulder sleeve of the gown down to further inspect the bandage when…

_Crash!_

The sudden clatter of something hitting the ground made her swing her eyes to the left. A lone figure stood in the doorway of the white-lit room. It was a small woman, with shoulder-length black-purple hair, who looked no older than 18 years old. But judging from the white nurse's uniform she had on she must have been older than that. She stood for there for long moments just staring at her. The girl's large expressive purple eyes telling her that something definitely was _not_ right. And that something was her.

"Ameleia…?" she heard the faint whisper escape from the girl's mouth, a whisper that she might have missed if it had not been an almost silent room.

On the ground, she could see the spilt contents of what looked like coffee flowing in a dark stream out of a plastic purple coffee cup along the marble-tiled floor.

"Where am I?"

* * *

Hotaru had returned from getting her coffee to see the young red-haired girl sitting up in bed, leaning over the metal railing with her hand out-stretched and lingering on the black and green screen hospital monitors. 

Shocked just did not begin to describe the way that Hotaru was feeling at that moment. One of Ameleia's attending doctors, Dr Setsuna, had just stopped to ask Hotaru about Ameleia's progress before privately telling her that hospital management was planning to place her in a nursing home.

"_I know you have been taking such good care of her Hotaru, and that you care for her a lot. That's why I thought you should be one of the first to know. But there really is nothing else that we can do for her here. Her body is recovering but she didn't seem like she will be waking up anytime soon…"_

Hotaru had been a little distraught to say the least but she had understood. Breathing in deeply, she had been preparing herself to walk into a silent room to tell a sleeping Ameleia of her fate. It just hadn't occurred to her that Ameleia might actually be awake and staring at her with the clearest blue eyes that she had ever seen in her life.

"Ameleia….?" Hotaru stood there stunned for what seemed like minutes, '_you're awake…'_

She stared as the red-headed girl watched her thoughtfully for a moment before she opened her mouth and the soft lilt of her voice broke Hotaru out of her trance.

"Where am I?"

* * *

Day by day, Ameleia's condition continued to rapidly improve to the point where she had the medical profession stunned. Although Ameleia had started walking with crutches, within a week Ameleia was already able to move around independently, like nothing had ever happened to her. Her shoulder however, was still taking a little bit of time to heal properly, and because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Ameleia's injury, police had thought it better that she remain in the high dependency unit, even if only for security reasons. 

Police officers, psychiatrist and hospital counsellors all came to see Ameleia, and despite great efforts to make her remember anything about herself, Ameleia found that she had absolutely no recollection of her past or anything beyond the point where she had woken up to see a very shocked nurse Hotaru.

Try as she might, Ameleia didn't even remember how she got to hospital. Nor did she know the young man that had apparently carried her in and pleaded with staff for help. The only thing that seemed to strike out at her was a pair of beautiful blue eyes framed by a thick crop of back hair...

Yet, if truth be told, she really wasn't sure that her name was really 'Ameleia'…only that it sounded vaguely familiar…

Dr Kou and the police had decided that it was just not worth placing Ameleia back into whatever dangerous situation that Ameleia had previously been living in. Ameleia, although not being able to remember what past they so obviously thought she had, had also agreed that if it were true…it might be better for her to start a new life with the foster family that had already agreed to take her…

"_Ameleia, considering what the police have been able to piece together from you're life so far, I think it would be good for you to have a fresh start. Somewhere where you can have a new family and new friends. I know it's a scary feeling leaving everything behind, but Officer Haruka will continue working on your case and looking for your family. And once the police know it is safe for you to come back…" _

"_Where are you going to send me?" _

"_At first, you'll stay in the local hospital for another week while your wound gets better and while all the paperwork is finalised with your foster family. But it looks like you'll be living in Tokyo and attending the local junior high school nearby once things get settled..."_

The word_ 'Tokyo' _clicked in her head like a light switch, bringing to light a distant memory and illuminating a possibility that Ameleia would have never considered if it was never mentioned- that somehow, she belonged in Tokyo.

Dr Kou continued to explain that she was to continue to take on this 'Ameleia' identity and go into hiding in Tokyo. But if she ever did feel like she was unsafe, she was to either call the police or tell her guardian who would be will informed of her situation. However, Ameleia was just too far deep in thought to actually recall, much less comprehend that Dr Kou was still actually talking to her.

"…_me coming out from Tokyo to the middle of Kyoto and finding you …I just wished I had more time to get to know you…"_

Flashes of a silvery princess exploded through her mind. Followed by four beautiful female warriors then images of a shadowy dark-haired man. Six nameless faces that she didn't recall or understand. Yet somehow, Ameleia knew that they were all connected to Tokyo…and that Tokyo was where she needed to be.

'_Tokyo…'_

* * *

The night before Ameleia was scheduled to be transferred to Tokyo Hospital, Hotaru had come to visit Ameleia and give her final farewells. In the time from when Ameleia had awaken, she had remained under Hotaru's care. And during that time, Ameleia had found a kindred spirit and a good friend. 

"Just in case, I leave tomorrow before you come back Hotaru, I just want you to know that I heard you. All those times when I was asleep... I heard your voice calling out to me, guiding me through the darkness, making sure I was never alone. And for what it's worth, thank you for everything Hotaru. Without you, I think I still might be sleeping… still lost in dreams. In case this is our last good-bye, I'm going to miss you so much Hotaru. I'll never forget you…"

Hotaru, touched by Ameleia's words, forced herself not to cry but instead took her into the circle of her arms and hugged her tightly.

'_I'm sorry I couldn't save your parents…'_

The apology shot through Hotaru's mind like an arrow, leaving her unsure of whether she had really heard them in the first place. She wondered for a second whether Ameleia had said them, then quickly remembered she had never told Ameleia about her past. Embarrassed, Hotaru squashed the thought then slowly pulled away from the tight embrace.

"Ameleia, I want you to take this" Hotaru said, slipping a purple parcel into Ameleia's small trembling hands, "so that whenever you feel like your alone, you'll always remember that the people who care about you are never too far away. I'll always remember you Ameleia."

Carefully unwrapping the small purple present, Ameleia uncovered a silver framed picture of her among all the people at the hospital who had taken such great care of her over the months that she had been there. Just as she lifted it up, a small star-shaped pendent sparkling on a thin silver chain fell into her lap. Gently picking it up, a striking tingling sensation shot through Ameleia as she held it in the palm of her hand. Ignoring it, Ameleia looked back up at Hotaru and beamed.

"Thank you Hotaru…I know I'm not supposed to…but I'll call you…even if it's just to let you know I'm ok"

"I'll like that…now I think it is time you went to sleep Ameleia. It's going to be a big day for you tomorrow."

"But I'm so nervous now Hotaru. Will you tell me that story to help me go to sleep Hotaru? How about one of your favourite stories from when you were a child?" Ameleia pleaded.

Hotaru laughed, she hadn't really expected that Ameleia would go to sleep that easily, even if the girl did love to sleep. "Ok. But after that it's time for sleep ok? How did that story start again…Oh yes…."

Hotaru closed her eyes and coughed to clear her voice. When she opened her eyes Ameleia noticed that she had a strange look in her eyes, one that seemed almost wise and beyond the 18 years that Hotaru appeared to be, like she was somebody else and retrieving some distant memory from the past.

"A long time ago, in a time long ago, in a time known as the Silver Millennium…there lived an ancient civilisation on the moon ruled by Queen Serenity…"

* * *

"And with the last of her strength, Queen Serenity used her crystal to send the Princess, her prince and her court to a distant future on Earth so that they could have a chance for a peaceful future" 

Hotaru paused for a moment to hear Ameleia's soft rhythmic breathing that sounded that Ameleia was finally asleep. Standing up and rubbing her tired eyes, Hotaru wrapped the blanket warmly around Ameleia and continued the rest of her story, as if Ameleia was still listening to her final words.

"Princess Serenity's final guardian and friend, Centauri, never did make it in time to save her princess. Instead, she arrived only in time to see the tiny floating bubbles as they ascended and disappeared to Earth…the only planet that hadn't been destroyed by the evil clutches of the Negaverse.

"With the Queen Serenity gone, and unable to go into the future herself, Centauri pledged to remain the ever watchful guardian of the Solar System, ensuring that its people remain safe until its rightful guardians are able to do so on their own. It is said that before Centauri finally passed away, she made a sacred vow on her eternal soul to come back one day whenever her princess needed her most.

"Even now, it is said that Centauri's spirit still waits till the time comes when she can fulfil that vow that has now spanned over centuries, sealed with the eternal pledge:

"_I promise."_

* * *

Author's note: Sincere 'Thank You's' to everyone for your comments and reviews about the last chapter to 'I Promise'. I do realise that it has a little confusing because this story is just constantly flicking from one point of view to another, and then to top it all off...I've have decided to put in 'voices' that decide that there needs to be a right time for everything...these voices will make a lot more sense once all the characters come into place. 

Alot of the things I'm writing about will make sense in the end but if there is any parts of this story that are confusing please do post me a comment about where I lost you so I can keep it in mind.

But just some things to point out about the story so far before people get ready with the flames gulp

Darien was in absolute turmoil about Serena. She had died not knowing why he had acted the way he did. So he needs to go away, and find somewhere where everything does not constantly remind him of Serena. He doesn't know why, but he thinks that something is telling him to go to Kyoto. I have hinted in 'Chapter 2: Awakening' about why it was important for him to go to Kyoto, but information about why the new girl is important to, not only Endymion's/Serenity's past/future lives, but also everyone else's will become more apparent with future chapters (which is why I have purposely left out parts of the past story that Hotaru told Ameleia about the Silver Millennium!).


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Sailor moon.

Chapter 3: Meeting Ameleia

The disappearance of Sailor moon had gone unnoticed by Tokyo Press. It was as if, she, the moon warrior of love and justice had never existed. As if, there were ever only four female protectors of Earth and not five.

It was an incredibly sobering thought for all the sailor scouts.

However, the loss of Serena was not something so easily dismissed by her family and friends. Her family had spent weeks scouring the city searching for any reminiscence of the daughter that they, somehow, must have neglected. Yet, even after repeated questioning of all who knew her, all they could find were dead ends. They were even turned away empty handed every time they questioned the girls- Ami, Rei, Lita and Mina – the friends that should have known Serena best, had absolutely no idea of her whereabouts.

"Police have ceased searching for missing Juuban Junior high student Serena Tsukino. After four months of no leads from either friends or family to the young blonde's whereabouts, police have placed her as one of the hundreds of the Tokyo citizens who go missing in Japan every year. If no new leads come up, Serena will be presumed dead by the end of the year. However, if anyone does have any information on the young girl's whereabouts, family and friends of Serena Tsukino urge them to come forward or call the police on …."

The old television set in the doctors' room crackled slightly before releasing a picture of a young, blonde 14 year old girl with bright blue eyes and a happy smile.

Ami turned her own blue eyes away from the yellow glow of the television set, took off her round, wire spectacles so to give her growing headache a small rub.

'_Four months. Has it really been that long already?'_

Ami's blue eyes blinked away the tears that had been just beginning to form.

"Ami…."

Startled, Ami quickly rubbed her tired eyes and turned in the direction of the voice.

"Ami, honey…are you okay?"

"Sure mom" she croaked, then pausing for a second to recompose herself, Ami gave a small cough, "Yes mom." _Better. _"I'm fine. Just the glare from all these lights."

"My little Ami" Dr Anderson cooed without missing a beat. In two brisk steps she was at Ami's side and gave her daughter a hug before pulling back and giving Ami a soft smile.

"Do you want to go home to rest?"

"NO!" Ami blurted out. She paused again, "no. I mean, it is getting dark outside. And I appreciate the company right now…" what Ami didn't say was that, she needed the company. Ever since that night, being with people, even if it meant strangers, stopped her from dwelling on the events leading up to Serena's untimely 'disappearance', and from totally breaking down at the sudden loss of her first real friend.

Since that fateful night, the girls had made an unspoken agreement to take temporary leave from sailor life. With the blissful lack of Negaverse activity happening since that night, they had all decided that they needed the chance to come to terms with the night's events. It seemed that the loss of Serena's laughter, her crying and even her constant bickering with Rei, just made staying in the group an impossibility. In the meantime, Luna and Artemis were to keep the group updated with any new reports, as well as keeping tabs on Rini who had decided to remain at the Tsukino residence.

"Honey, did you hear me?" the voice broke through Ami's train of thought. Ami blinked blankly back at her mother.

* * *

Dr Anderson sighed inwardly. She understood that the past months had been especially hard on Ami. And Ami's life had not been an easy one to start with. She mostly blamed herself. When she had begun her promising medical career, the last thing she had thought about was becoming pregnant. Although there had been some initial concerns about how she would raise this child without a partner, there had never been any doubt in her mind that she would keep her child. However, as her medical career flourished, she could see that Ami would never have a normal childhood. Instead, Ami had spent a good portion of her life in the hospital setting, watching as other young sick children came and went. 

At first, she had thought it might be a good experience for her, so the hospital wouldn't seem like such a scary place. And it did look like that for a while. Ami was becoming a very intelligent young woman, soaking up information like a sponge. Dr Anderson had no doubt in her mind that if Ami wanted to, she could become one of most prestigious doctors in Japan.

But despite this, she could see that Ami was a very lonely girl. She spent so much of her free time outside the hospital reading books and in extra tutoring programs that she almost wished for any kind of rebellion from her normally placid, blue haired daughter.

Then they had moved to Tokyo. Ami had made the decision for herself that she wanted to go to a public school. She had chosen Juuban Junior High. And for a while it seemed like nothing had changed, Ami continued to go to school and come home same as always, on time and alone.

Then one day, Ami had come into the hospital looking incredibly happy.

"_Oh mom! Today I had lunch with a girl named Serena. She has invited me out to go shopping with her this weekend. I'm so excited"_

She had made a friend.

It looked like moving to Tokyo was the start of something special for Ami...

"_Ami, I'm so happy for you. My little Ami is growing up"_

* * *

"Ami, if you want to, would you like to go visit one of the new patients who have just been transferred in last night?" 

"Hmm?"

* * *

Ami and her mother were standing in front of a single room in the children's ward. The light was on and the door was slightly ajar. Ami peeked inside into the white hospital to see a young girl in a white hospital gown. A girl about her age. With bright red hair tied back into a long braid, pale skin and blue eyes. She was sitting on her hospital bed with her legs folded with her piercing blue eyes staring intently at the blank wall in front of her. Unlike the other children at the hospital, there were no flowers, no cards, no stuffed toys to cheer her up or to make the room less empty. 

Ami didn't have much time to ponder on this when she felt a soft, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Her name is Ameleia. She is 14 years old. She's just been transferred here from Kyoto Hospital while her wound heals. She has amnesia and she has no idea where she came from or where her family is. The police have tried looking for her family but so far there are no leads. Community services will be coming over the next few days to try to put her in foster care but I was hoping you might like to talk to her. She seems so lonely all the time…it would be nice for her to have someone her own age to talk to."

Ami looked at her mother's gentle hand on her shoulder, and her confident gaze at her daughter's abilities. Ami gulped.

"I'll do my best."

But as she looked back at the girl staring at the blank hospital wall, Ami thought,

'_If only Serena were here…she would know what to say.'_

'Where am I? Who am I? Why doesn't this body…it just doesn't feel right…'. The questions buzzed inside the young red-head's mind. She lifted her small pale hands to her face and stared at the slender fingers and at her long pink fingernails. 'It's like I don't know my own body…'

'Ameleia'…was the one of the first words that she had heard as soon as she opened her blue eyes to find herself in a snow-white room surrounded by beeping monitors with blinking green lights. A young nurse had been in the room at the same time that she had opened her eyes. Ameleia remember the shocked expression on the woman's pale face as she stuttered something about calling Dr. Setsuna before rushing out of the room. To think back on her time at Kyoto Hospital, everything seemed like a blur.

Her blue eyes concentrated on the white wall in front of her. Her other doctor, Dr. Kou, had tried for months to help her uncover her past, her identity….anything that would link her up with something solid in this world. But it was to no avail. Dr Kou often said it was like she had fallen out of the sky.

Apparently she, 'Ameleia', had been in a coma for two months. Two months that she had spent sleeping while her body was healing itself of massive injuries to the right side of her chest. Injuries that she didn't know how she had received. And stranger still…healing herself of injuries that medicine had deemed would have been fatal. It was truly a miraculous recovery, Dr. Kou had said, she was a very lucky girl.

Yet in all that time, no one had come to claim her as theirs. No family had come to visit her. They didn't even know the name of the young man who had apparently come bursting into the hospital doors one busy Sunday night, with her, unconscious in his arms. His identity and all traces of him had become lost in the numbers that had come rushing through the emergency room that night. They had tried asking her about him but she just didn't recall him. Like everything about her past, it was all just a buzz of voiced hovering in the darkness.

Shaking her head slightly, Ameleia tried to recollect her thoughts. She turned her head towards the small closed window in her room which showed her a full moon floating in a starless sky.

In her mind's eye she saw flashes of a palace, a beautiful silver-haired girl in a white dress…then sudden destruction. Pain pierced through her mind as she struggled to hold onto these mental images which flittered out of her reach like autumn leaves tumbling in the wind.

Breathing deeply, she rubbed her throbbing temples with her fingers, 'What do these pictures mean? Are they memories of a past life? Or is it just my imagination?'

These thoughts were interrupted by a gentle rapping at the door.

Ameleia's eyes quickly darted from the wall to the door to see a slim blue-haired girl appear from behind the worn green hospital curtains.

A moment of recognition flashed in Ameleia's eyes before the feeling dimmed, flying away like a hurricane at full speed.

"Do I know you?"

* * *

"_Do I know you?" _

That's what the red-haired girl had asked, just moments after Ami herself had felt the strong sense of déjà vu that came over her as soon as she had walked into the room and had looked into those questioning aquamarine blue eyes.

'_They look just like Serena's…'_

Ami quickly squashed the feeling and roughly pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"Hello. My name is Ami."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry I have taken so long to update this story but then again, for anyone undertaking exams understands that they are meant to torture, dim the imagination and wreck havoc on one's social life. Although they were over a while ago, my brain needed a little time out. I know this chapter is a little slow but bear with me readers and hopefully i can create something while your while. In the meantime, reviews are greatly appreciated. 

Thank you!


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